Shreveport City Council talks about 5G cell tower regulations

The Shreveport City Council's Infrastructure Committee discussed a new ordinance that would regulate 5G small cell towers and all other communication structures, on Monday.

The ordinance outlines steps companies need to take before they put up any wireless telecommunication structure.

There are a number of permits to get and they must be approved by both the city and the Metropolitan Planning Commission.

"Today's discussion is about how the City of Shreveport regulates what's going into our neighborhoods," Shreveport City Attorney, William Bradford said. "How do we regulate what goes into our public right of ways? And how do we make sure that those pieces of infrastructure that are deployed by the industry are congruent with the aesthetics of the City of Shreveport and continue to make our city beautiful?"

Not everyone at the meeting was in favor of the new ordinance.

Concerned citizen and columnist John Settle said he's opposed to the MPC being tasked with screening and approving wireless communication structure applications due to all the recent controversial public scrutiny that they agency is facing for not being efficient and business friendly.

Councilman Jeff Everson says they can always revise the ordinance in anticipation of whatever changes may come to the city's zoning and planning procedures.

The city is working with big communications companies like AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Metro PCS to fine tune the Telecommunications Ordinance.